New 2016 Roku Media Streamers

New 2016 Roku Media Streamers

Roku now has the Roku Express, Roku Express+, Roku Premiere, Roku Premiere+ and Roku Ultra which are all brand new models released for 2016.

Roku Express

Their lowest price Roku Express costs only $30 and includes a simple remote control. You can bet that at this price they are hoping to steal some sales away from Google's Chromecast which does not include a remote and has nowhere near the functionality or access to over 3500+ channels available on the Roku platform. It will give streamers on a tighter budget another lower-cost option to use the awesome Roku media streaming platform.

While it does not come with Ethernet, and it only works with an HDMI port. The Roku Express will most likely be a popular seller for Roku since it offers the same level of performance as their $50 Roku Streaming Stick.

This is a rather unusual looking streamer. Like a cross between a streaming stick and a chopped down Roku 3. Not really sure why they decided to add this model to their line. Other than it makes for a nice platform for their next least expensive model the Roku Express+

Roku Express+

The Roku Express+ looks identical to the Roku Express with the addition of Analog Video outputs so it will work on older TVs that don't have HD Inputs. This model costs $10 more than the Express which makes it $5 more expensive than a Chromecast.

Roku Premiere

Stepping up the Roku Premier gives you the same 4K streaming as last year's model Roku 4. The remote is not as nice and won't give you all the bells and whistles and only works with IR. This is now Roku's budget 4K box and it costs $80. It omits gaming and voice search from the remote and it can't do HDR.

Roku Premiere+

Adding $20 to the price, the Roku Premiere+ adds HDR to the mix. HDR requires a specially enabled 4K TV and it gives you even a nicer 4K picture with more brightness and contrast. It is also the first Roku in this line-up that comes with an Ethernet port. This is something that is highly recommended for the better streaming performance over WiFi. The included remote also offers a headphone jack for private listening and is also radio controlled so you won't need to point it directly at your Roku.

Roku Ultra

At $129.99 the Roku Ultra is the Big Dog of the group and it comes with all the bells and whistles. 4K HDR, Ethernet, Gaming Radio Controlled Remote, Voice Search and a Headphone Jack, Lost Remote Finder plus a USB port not found on the other models. Now for the best part, Roku eliminated the fan. All their models are now fanless. The fan caused major headaches early on when there were many complaints about excessive fan noise on their Roku 4 which they promptly fixed.

According to Roku, all their 4K models will now feature the same CPU and will be more powerful than last years Roku 4. They can do 4K/60Hz for really smooth streaming.

The top models are now also in a smaller package 4.9 x 4.9 x 0.85 inches compared to last year's Roku 4 at 6.5 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches.

Along with the $49 Quad-core Roku Streaming Stick which was also recently released. Roku also recently released brand new updated OS. It will come with some great new features and also be rolled out as an update to older Roku models as well. You can read about the new features in the Release Notes.

Remote control Advanced point-anywhere remote with voice search, headphone jack, and gaming buttons. Speaker for lost remote finder alerts.
Player includes IR receiver, compatible with various universal remotes